Cost of Playing Paintball

Different from a number of other sports activities, paintball is actually a sport in which the price tag to play and experience is simply equally costly as the cost you are prepared to shell out. No matter what you do, if it’s buying your equipment or trying to book a paintball location, it basically boils down to how much you are want to spend. You don’t have to go All-In in paintball. If you are on a low-budget, you can easily do magic if you research properly. Basically, it is up to you how much money you invest.

It is logical and common sense to start off slowly at the beginning. In most cases, those who are making their first steps in paintball kick-start their paintball career on a low budget. On the other hand, seasoned players will spend a fortune on equipment once their experience grows and once they master the game of paintball.

How Much Cash Do You Need?

It goes without saying that paintball is typically played on a course which is normally designed to play paintball. Oftentimes, enthusiasts might discover a private location and in some cases they are able to throw games independently on their own residential property. Have in mind though that you should not take it for granted all the time. When you are reserving a paintball location, the reservation is based on a rate per person. However, you will most likely be able to get deals based on how many people intent to play.

Bring Your Own Equipment or Buy-on-Field?

Needless to say the cost will vary from one paintball field to another. To give you an example, fees are usually fluctuating from $10 to $30 bucks per person. In some cases, it doesn’t matter if you bring your own equipment or not because there are so many locations that will actually force you to buy their paint on field. You will not be able to use your own paintball balls and you will need to invest in paintballs once you arrive on the place. To give you a cost estimate, you can expect around $30-$60 for a 2000 paintballs package. You might be wondering about how many packages you should buy. So, to have an idea, think about the following, those who are starting out will be firing anywhere from 500-600 paintballs throughout the day. This will give you an idea of how many packages you should buy.

Deals That Include Everything

Most of the paintball fields offer deals that basically include all the equipment you will ever need playing paintball. However, you need to consider that on-field equipment will without a doubt be old and torn-out but usable. The price tag for All-in-1 package will differ between location and they will include fee field, mask&gun, air and paintballs box.

Starting Cost

I advise you to invest in your own paintball equipment if you are planning on playing paintball regularly. It is must better to play with a gun that you have already mastered instead of renting always different paintball guns. You should invest in your own paintball kit, from gun to mask and everything in between. You might end up with a mask that doesn’t even fit you and goggles that will block your vision with fog.

You need to think about paintball as an investment and the starting cost can rise. But over the long run, it will eventually pay-off once you master your equipment properly. You can always go the middle way also and invest in cheaper equipment if you prefer, but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. You need to make sure that you are not throwing away dollars to save cents. Sophisticated equipment will cost money and you should not try to save few bucks on quality. Quality matters and quality cost.

Buying Equipment

Two items that you cannot be without if you want to play paintball include a mask to protect your face and the second item is a paintball gun. You will be able to choose from many different masks available and you need to figure out what mask will fit your personal playing style. It is vital that you invest in a mask. A mask will make you safer on the field. You wouldn’t want to end up playing without a mask because getting hit will burn, and where the skin is thin and sensitive, like your face, it will burn even more.

Also, it can do a lot of damage if you get hit in the eye and can even hospitalize you if you get hit in the mouth and the paintball explodes inside your throat. If you wear a paintball mask, it will cover up your whole face and throat and therefore keep you safe.

As I did mention here earlier, the second basic equipment that you will need in order to play paintball is a paintball gun. I also mentioned above that you can get inexpensive guns and one of the cheapest options you can get your hands on is a pump rifle. However, you need to take into account that pump rifles are slower and not as accurate as paintball guns that rely on compressed air or CO2.

Pump rifle is a starting point for those who are familiarizing themself with the game of paintball. The most common paintball guns for beginners are Semi-automatic paintball guns and they are much better than pumping rifles and actually favored among players who are starting out. There are of course many other different types of paintball guns available and to mention few, there are ramping, 3 round burst guns and fully automatic, just to name few examples. It is not advisable to go for these kinds of guns yet if you are starting out.

You will be able to find deals online that include a basic pump deal. With this deal you will receive basic plastic pump rifle, hopper, disposable canisters and a cheap mask. Regarding the canisters, you should keep in mind that you would need to replace the canisters after each shot you fire. Still, pump rifles could be your cheap starting point as they are generally cheaper (around 30-50 bucks) than other advanced paintball guns.

Ongoing Cost

The game of paintball requires you to pay fee for every location you will play at. Also, another frequent cost is buying the paintballs that you will use. You are able to buy the paintballs in cases or bulks, meaning that you can buy them in large quantities. They usually come in bulks of 2000 and they range from 50 calibers to 68 calibers round. Paintballs are non-toxic and they come in all kinds of qualities. These qualities are based on the thickness of the shell, thickness of the paint and how round the shell is.

High-rated quality paintballs are perfectly round, with thick paint and thin shell to guarantee burst once your target is hit. If you hit your opponent with a quality paintball, your opponent will not be able to hide that he got shot due to the bright color and dust that are inside the paintball.

During a paintball game, air canisters are your energy source and you can purchase them in all kinds of sizes and styles. The air canisters are usually CO2 BUT the fact is that compressed air is getting more and more favored by players because they are more stable and more environment friendly. Old pump guns generally use 12gr CO2 canisters that you will have to replace after each shot you fire. These canisters vary in prices and most, if not all, paintball locations will have easily accessible refill spots at a cheap price.

Compare Prices and Do Your Research

You will most likely have to hand out 20-130 bucks for playing paintball your first time. This will of course depend on if you have to rent a gear or take your own equipment with you. It is extremely important to compare prices and research prices. Just by calling several paintball places you can cut down the cost significantly. Also, when you compare locations, you need to compare their rental-kit prices, refill fees, group discounts, on-site paintball refills etc….

Final Thoughts

Paintball will only be as expensive as you allow it to. Like I did mention earlier, there are ways to cut down the cost just by comparing and do research. It can actually become very expensive to play paintball but the basic fact is that you don’t have to invest your whole budget on your first equipment.

Try to borrow equipment if you can, just to get the feel of how it is to play and familiarize yourself with the sport and find out if you think you will like the game. As you have guessed, equipment that you will rent is low quality stuff and should only be used to take the first-step. It is fascinating how the game of paintball is evolving and how the technology improves year by year.

Your best option is to research and compare products online. You can even look-up your local paintball field online and check if they have any reviews. Also, their websites should include all costs that you need to know. If you want to have an edge in paintball, seek advice from seasoned paintball players by navigating through forums and research what is the best equipment available.

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